Why is card grading so expensive?

PSA

PSA

Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), is a US based sports card and trading card grading company.

https://en.wikipedia.org › Professional_Sports_Authenticator

Professional Sports Authenticator - Wikipedia

grading is expensive because they use a 10-point grading process to grade and value cards. Not every grading company has such an extensive grading process. Since PSA does, it makes its services a bit more expensive.

Why is it so expensive to get cards graded?

The grading services are businesses, who want to maximize their profits – The top grading companies have the luxury of their big reputations and trust, so they know they can charge more for their services.

Is it worth getting a card graded?

In nearly all circumstances, a graded card is worth more than its raw counterpart. There might be some minor exceptions to this. For example, if a card is returned from a grader labeled as questionable authenticity, we could theoretically say that the card values are approximately equal.

What is the cheapest way to grade cards?

Of the major grading companies, BGS currently offers the cheapest card grading service, which is $18 to grade a single card at the “Base” level. This is $2 less than CSG's “Economy” level, $5 less than PSA's “Value” service, and $4 less than SGC.

Is PSA grading even worth it?

So in the end, does it make sense to grade cards? If you'd like to increase the value, and are certain the card you're grading will receive a great score, then sure. On the other hand, if you simply want to authenticate or protect your collection, then yes as well!

Do Not Grade Pokemon Cards

How rare is a PSA 10 card?

Earning a PSA 10 grade on average is quite hard, but is highly dependent on a card's age, scarcity, and condition sensitivity. Newer cards generally have a higher probability of earning a PSA 10, since a collector will immediately protect a card after pulling from a pack.

Is PSA grading shutting down?

Back on March 30, PSA Authentication and Grading Services, a company long considered the gold standard in the sports card collectibles grading field, shut down several of its services.

Can you grade fake cards?

Basically, PSA has no intention of grading a fake card, as the key element of the grading process is the authentication of raw/ungraded cards. A PSA grade is proof that a card is legitimate.

Can you grade cards for free?

Now with that out of the way, let me rephrase that as you probably can't get cards graded for free. And most likely not in the way you're thinking. But there are cheap grading options, and ways to minimize your costs. Card grading is a service, just like dining out is a service provided by restaurants.

How expensive should a card be to get it graded?

PSA Grading Cost Per Card

Value Bulk: $19/card. Value: $25/card. Value Plus: $40/card. Regular: $75/card.

Why are PSA 10 so expensive?

Why are PSA 10 Graded Pokémon Cards so Expensive? PSA 10 Pokémon cards tend to be some of the most expensive on the market. This is partly due to the rarity, and the difficulty in obtaining a Gem Mint 10/10 grade. For example, we'll look at the Charizard V (154/172) found in the 2022 Brilliant Stars collection.

Is it better to sell cards graded or ungraded?

Graded cards are generally worth more than their counterparts that aren't graded because graded cards have been examined, authenticated, and assigned a condition by an expert. Thus, a card deemed to be gem mint is going to be valued higher than one that looks mint in “raw” condition. This makes sense.

How much does a PSA 10 increase value?

In that case, the 9 was worth 2.5x as much as the raw. PSA 10s are worth about 3.5x as much as PSA 9. So if you're getting your cards graded, that means you score big with a 10. If you're buying, it means you'll be shelling out the big bucks to a Gem Mint 10.

Will PSA ever drop prices?

With the return of Regular, PSA is taking another step towards bringing back lower priced service levels in 2022. But they are also in this to make a profit. So, if pack breakers continue flooding them with demand, we will unfortunately never see any price adjustments lower.

Is Beckett or PSA better?

Beckett Grading Services has a lot more bells and whistles than PSA: they offer color-coded tags for the cards based on their grade (gold is a 9.5 or 10, for example), they award subscores so you can see exactly how your cards faired in their four subcategories, and they have a “Black Label” offering for the rare ...

What does PSA 10 mean?

For a card to earn a 10, the edges of a card must be flawless to the naked eye and virtually perfect when looked at under magnification. Surface. The final criteria looked at by card graders is the surface of the card.

Is there an app to grade cards?

True Grade is an auto-grading and pricing sports card service for individuals who are looking for a quicker and easier way to have their cards graded. Users can create an account that will allow them to take a photo of their card, grade it on the spot, and save their card in a collection for their records.

Can I get a card graded in person?

To get cards graded in person, you can visit card shows, conventions, and even the offices of major grading companies like PSA or Beckett.

Can you sell cards ungraded?

Selling the card UNGRADED is the safest move unless you're ABSOLUTELY certain that you'll garner a NM-MT or better grade. However, PSA 9 and PSA 10 examples are why so many people clamor to grade this card.

Does PSA detect fake cards?

According to PSA, their preferred method of determining the authenticity of their graded cards is to hold the label in front of a bright light. Once this is done, the label's text should be deciphered by the naked eye. If not, there's a chance the PSA slab is a fake.

What cards will PSA not grade?

PSA will not grade cards that bear evidence of trimming, re-coloring, restoration, or any other forms of tampering, or are of questionable authenticity.

Does PSA cost 100 per card?

PSA grading costs range anywhere from $22 per card all the way up to $10,000 per card, depending on the value of the card, the age of the card, how many cards you're submitting at one time, how fast you want the turnaround to be, and other factors. Below is a complete rundown of the PSA grading cost levels.

Is PSA grade 5 good?

As the grade number gets lower, the flaws on the trading card become more and more noticeable. PSA Near-Mint 7, Excellent-Mint 6, and Excellent 5 graded trading cards display poor focus, printing issues, chipping on the edges, surface scratches, and rounded corners.